The Shadow Wizards
by Kailee
Summary: Yuugi Motou is a wizard. Mmmhmm, a wizard. He attends a Japanese branch of Hogwarts. So what happens when Harry and Hermione show up, having completed their Hogwarts education and ready for something new? [AU] [HET-SLASH] [CHAP 5 4-4-05]
1. Meet and Greet

Started: April 9th, 2004 @ 5:21pm  
  
The Shadow Wizards  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Harry Potter, sadly enough. I do own Dominique, Justin and Cameron, however. Also anyone else floating around that you don't recognise.  
  
Summary: Yugi Motou is a wizard. Yes, you read that right – a wizard. He attends a school in Japan called Lady Akira's School for Witches and Wizards.  
  
Harry Potter is a famous wizard, but you already knew that. He ends up transferring to Lady Akira's School for Witches and Wizards after he completes his schooling at Hogwarts – would you believe it, he thought he wasn't yet strong enough to fight Voldemort!  
  
The two meet on the train going to Akira, before Harry and Hermione are sorted. Missing someone? Yes, Ron. All will be explained. For now, all you need to know is he's not in the story yet.  
  
Chapter One: Meet and Greet  
  
****************  
  
Yugi leaned his head against the window, closing his eyes. The soft jolting of the train as it huffed and chuffed towards it's destination – Lady Akira's School for Witches and Wizards, just outside Domino City – lulled him almost to sleep.  
  
Yugi had been going to Akira for years, ever since he found out about his heritage. The school took students from their 14th birthdays, and then released them again on their 21st's. Yugi had only found out that he was a wizard on his 15th birthday, after his Grandpa, just before he died, gave him a letter from his parents.  
  
At least, it had said it was from his parents. Yugi had never met them, so could not tell if it was sincere or not. Even if it wasn't, his powers were. In conjunction with his Shadow powers, he was almost the most powerful wizard in the magic world. Only Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter took places ahead of him. Not in that order, of course.  
  
Yugi was now 18, and had been going to Akira three years now. He had two friends, named Dominique Crystian and Justin Smith. Neither were Japanese, like he was. Dominique was French, and Justin was English. He had gone to Hogwarts, a school in England, before transferring to Akira because he wanted further training. Many did that.  
  
Dominique had also transferred, but she had come from a school called Beauxbatons, in France – they took students from the time they were 7, to their 18th birthdays. Dom had requested a transfer when she had turned 15, however – something about not liking the curriculum. She and Yugi had hit it off immediately, and were fast friends.  
  
There had been another wizard he had hung out with, but he had left Akira for unknown reasons – the rumours said he had been expelled for attempted murder, but Yugi thought that had been bullshit, pardon his French. Akura wouldn't have had the guts to try and kill anybody!  
  
Akura was Akura Akahashi, a fellow Japanese wizard. They had started in the same year, but had been in opposing houses. Strangely enough, they had bonded at the Japanese version of Diagon Alley, the famous English alley behind the pub called the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
In Cherry Tree Alley, the two boys had been trying out wands, and laughing at each other when they 'accidentally' blew up part of the shop they were in. Akura had helped Yugi find the right wand, and in return, Yugi had chosen his porta-letterbox.  
  
As Yugi had been rememberizing, (A/N: my word!) the door to his compartment slid open, and Dominique stepped in. Yugi greeted her warmly.  
  
'Hey Dom – what have you been up to?' he asked.  
  
'Not much,' she answered. 'Just looking for Justin. Have you seen him?' Dom and Justin were a couple, had been for about a year. They made Yugi feel a little left out at times, but they always made up for it later.  
  
'No – wha-' Just before Yugi could finish his question, he was interrupted by Justin entering. The English boy turned, and pulled at someone's arm. Eventually, a strange girl stepped in after him. Dom jumped on Justin, giving him a 'hello!' kiss. Yugi and the new girl were left to stare at each other, until she made the first move.  
  
'Uh, hi. I'm Hermione Granger,' she introduced herself, extending her hand. Yugi kissed it, on impulse, and Hermione blushed.  
  
'Yugi Motou,' he smiled. Hermione wasn't very tall – about his own height (5'5), had brown eyes, wild brown hair and wore black robes. She sat down beside him, and they chatted idly for a few moments, waiting for Dom and Justin to again become two separate people.  
  
After a while: 'Hermione, where're Harry and Ron?' came Justin's voice. Hermione closed her eyes at Ron's name.  
  
'Ron? Wasn't he the one you were engaged to?' asked Dominique.  
  
'Yes,' came her quiet reply. 'But we're not anymore.'  
  
'Why not?'  
  
'I don't want to talk about it.'  
  
****************  
  
'If the groom doesn't show up in five minutes, Mrs Weasley, we'll have to cancel the wedding.'  
  
'Oh dear. Poor Hermione – she'll be devastated. How could Ron do this to her?'  
  
'I don't know, Molly.'  
  
****************  
  
'Ah.' Dom and Justin exchanged knowing looks – that wasn't the normal type of 'I don't want to talk about it', there had to be some sort of really big problem. 'Well then, where's Harry?'  
  
'He should be coming soon – he's up talking with the headmistress in the front carriage,' replied Hermione, reopening her eyes.  
  
'Harry? Harry Potter, you mean?' asked Yugi. Dom and Justin laughed at his expression.  
  
'The one and only. But don't let on your that impressed – he'll never speak to you if you do. The 'Boy Who Lived' is quite aware of his fame, and does not like it,' Justin explained. At that moment, the door slid open again. Yugi turned to it, expecting Harry, but was instead greeted with Cameron Franklin – an American fourth year.  
  
Yugi and the rest were all fourth years too – and in different houses, aside from Hermione (who had yet to be sorted). Yugi was in Tamiriko House, Dom in Hokariu and Justin in Shinami. Cameron was in the fourth house, Makare.  
  
He was officially known as the 'Prince of Pranks'. The 'King of Pranks' had been Akura, before he left (or was expelled). Cam had yet to pull off one more spectacular than the teacher-student body swap that had been Akura's crowning prank.  
  
'Hey guys,' he greeted them in his American accent. Plopping down in one of the two unused seats, Cam grinned 'round at them all. His eyes came to a stop finally, on Hermione. 'Hey 'Mione.'  
  
'Cameron! It's nice to see you again!' exclaimed Hermione. Turning to the others, she explained how she knew him. 'Cameron and I met when my family went on a trip to America. His family took us in, in New York, when we had no other place to go.' Looks of understanding went all around.  
  
The door slid open for a third time, and this time, it really was Harry. 'Lady Akira's a really big talker, huh?' he commented absentmindedly. He had never really recovered to be the quick thinker he had been before he lost his godfather to Bellatrix Lestrange – everyone knew the story.  
  
'Hey Harry,' Hermione smiled, and pulled him down into the seat next to her, filling up the compartment. 'May I introduce: Cameron Franklin, Dominique Crystian, Justin Smith and Yugi Motou?' As Hermione mentioned each name, the person made some sort of acknowledgement.  
  
'Hi,' Harry murmured. He looked around again, and suddenly blinked. ''Mione, where's Ron?' he asked, genuinely confused. Hermione shook her head slightly, and sniffed. 'Oh, right.'  
  
****************  
  
'Wormtail.'  
  
'Yes, master?'  
  
'He's breaking. Get the boy.'  
  
'You called, Lord?'  
  
'Yes. Get back to that school of yours – regain trust, worm your way back to their confidence. Then I will contact you.'  
  
'Yes, Lord.'  
  
****************  
  
Finished: April 9th, 2004 @ 11:59pm...  
  
12:00am!  
  
It's April 10th!  
  
It's my birthday!  
  
Woohoo!  
  
Go me!  
  
I'm a year older!... wait a minute, is that a good thing? 


	2. Home At Last

**Started: **17th June, 2004 4:02pm

**The Shadow Wizards**

**Disclaimer: **see chapter one

**Summary: **see chapter one

**Chapter Two:** Home At Last

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Yuugi sighed as he collapsed on his double bed. The arrival feast had been as extravagant as always, but there had been a few things out of place… like the fact that the Headmistress had been missing. The first years weren't sorted. The new students, Hermione and Harry among them, had not been properly welcomed.

He frowned as he bashed his pillow with his fist, trying to reaccustom himself to the feel of it after spending them summer with his head on his _own _pillow at the Kame Game Shop.

Hearing the door to his room open, Yuugi opened his eyes, blinking. The bed-light of the other bed in the room flickered on to the lowest setting. A murmur of voices could be heard.

"Here is where you'll be staying while you're here, Harry. Your roommate I believe you have already met." The voice was low and feminine – Yuugi knew it to be the Headmistress'. Obviously Harry was to be rooming with him – which was just fine, in Yuugi's opinion. It was far too lonely in this room for one person.

Everyone at Akira's shared a room with another person. Usually the person they shared it with was from their own house, but this was not always the case, so Yuugi really had no indication if Harry had already been sorted.

The room was fairly large, with a large window overlooking the forest outside. It had a window seat, with Yuugi's desk next to it. Yuugi often did his work while sitting on the window seat, leaning against the walls on either side. Another desk was set up next to it, but there were no quills littering the space, parchment rolls half scribbled on and blotched from ink spills or photo frames.

Apart from the desk, there was a double bed for each person, a large closet standing against the wall farthest from the door, only half of it occupied. A bookcase was on either side of a mini-potions area. One was crammed with books on magic, Ancient Egypt, Duel Monsters, photo albums and the occasional replica of an artefact or an antique here and there. The other was empty.

After the Headmistress left, Yuugi sat up. Harry was still sitting on his bed, fully clothed, with his glasses perched precariously on the tip of his nose. He was staring vacantly into space.

"Harry?" Yuugi whispered. The other boy blinked suddenly as his eyes refocussed, landing on the one who had interrupted his reverie.

"Who're you?" he asked, confused. "Oh that's right; I met you on the train. Yuugi Motou, right?"

"Hai." Harry raised an eyebrow – he had not bothered polishing up on a bit of elementary Japanese like Hermione had, then. "It means 'yes'."

"Ah. So… do we get class schedules tomorrow morning?" Harry asked, getting changed into the pyjamas the house elves had laid out on the bed for him.

"Iie… uh, I mean no – they get sent to our alert systems. You i_do/i _have one of those, don't you?" Yuugi frowned. If the Headmistress had forgotten to tell the two English wizards what they would need at Akira's, then something was wrong. Lady Akira barely ever forgot anything! She even remembered each and every student (and teacher) birthday.

"Do you mean this thing?" Harry grinned, holding up a small, silvery coloured alert system.

"You have a silver one? That's not fair… mine's green." Yuugi pouted adorably. "Oh well… want me to show you how it works?" asked the Japanese Game King. Harry nodded, and Yuugi came over to sit next to him on the other bed.

"See, you push _this_ button here, and it shows you your timetable." Yuugi demonstrated (though no timetable was there yet), then continued. "Press _this_ one, and you see anything else you need to know at that particular time." Again, Yuugi demonstrated. "But _this_ button was just installed in all of them last year – we can send messages to each other!" he exclaimed.

"Cool. Is it just between people who live together, or anyone?" Harry asked, fiddling with the different buttons.

"Anyone, as long as you have their ID number programmed into the system. Here, I'll put mine, Dom's, Justin's, and Cam's into it." Harry surrendered the little silver miracle of technology, and watched with wide eyes as Yuugi's fingers flew across the 13 buttons. Each was a different colour, and stood for a number, a symbol, and two letters each. Eventually he handed it back.

"Now I'll put my number in yours. Can you show me how?" Harry enquired. Yuugi nodded, and made his way over to his own desk, opening a drawer. An alert system covered in stickers of different monsters (what were they, Harry wondered) emerged. You could tell that it had a green cover, but only barely. A lot of it was covered up.

Yuugi handed him the AS (AN – that's what I'll call it now), and told him exactly what to do. Harry memorised what he was saying, filing it for later use. Yuugi wondered at this: the other boy seemed more awake now that it was night-time than he had on the train. Maybe the waking-sleep was a façade, set up to protect his emotions – but now he was getting poetic, and a poetic, tired Yuugi is never a good thing.

"Thanks," Harry grinned.

"You know, you should learn a little Japanese for general use about the castle, Harry." Yuugi murmured, bouncing back across the room to his own bed.

"Alright then."

"We'll start with the basics… in the morning."

"Why in the morning?"

"I'm too tired to think straight."

"But not too tired to bounce across the room?"

"You're never too tired to bounce."

"Whatever. 'Night." Harry laughed, and clapped. The light went out, and Yuugi cursed as he hit his toe on the bedside table. Harry just laughed again, and settled down into his bed.

"Goodnight, Harry," came Yuugi's voice, before all went dark.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hermione groaned as Harry and Yuugi entered the hall; both were morning people. She, on the other hand, was not. Hermione, who was hardly ever without a smile on her face, hid behind her bacon, sausages and coffee. A truly Japanese breakfast… not.

Dominique, sitting next to her, had a similar reaction to the two boys. The French girl had had ba-a-ad experiences with Yuugi's morning-person-itis. She rubbed her head as the coffee sitting next to her was knocked over – by none other than her clumsy-as-hell-but-still-adorably-cute boyfriend, Justin.

Yuugi and Harry settled themselves down next to Cameron, Harry immediately reassuming his vacant-face. Yuugi frowned (yet again) as he noticed this – it _had_ to be a façade, as Harry had been fully alert this morning during the elementary Japanese 'lesson'.

Cam glanced at Yuugi, then looked away, his gaze roaming over everyone at the small table. The Hall was separated into little tables all over the place, where students could converse with anyone they chose to. There were people from every House scattered about the place – hardly any table consisted of those of only one house.

Akira's Houses were unified, and very close. There had been barely any competitiveness, as Hermione had noted the night before. Except during Quidditch weekends, there _was_ almost no hostility between Houses. It was quite the opposite of Hogwarts. But getting back to the table where Yuugi and co. are seated.

The six had varying reactions to the small –beep- of the AS'. Yuugi dived into his bag, slung over the back of his chair. Cam mirrored him. Hermione and Dom were more dignified in their retrieval of their respective AS', and Harry already had his out. Justin didn't get his at all – just looked over Dom's shoulder.

"Typical," Dom giggled, as Justin took the opportunity to blow on her neck; it was singularly _the_ most sensitive place on her body.

"What've you guys got first? I've got Charms," Yuugi started.

"Potions," Cam groaned.

"Muggle Studies," cheered Dom, accompanied by Hermione (who had been sorted in Hokariu, with the former Beauxbatons girl).

"Herbology, in GH2," Harry and Justin chorused. Both seemed to be in Shinami. All six gathered their bags, seeing as the first class was right then. Dom kissed Justin goodbye – after all, they would not see each other for another three lessons! – and accompanied Hermione out of the hall.

Justin rose from the table, grinning stupidly after his good-morning kiss combined with the caffeine dose of his coffee gave him a rush. "C'mon Harry. I'll show you the way to the Greenhouses." Harry followed the English boy out of the hall.

Cam sighed as he shoved the AS into his pocket. "I _hate_ Potions!" he complained. "I'm not any good at it!"

"Just go and get it over with," Yuugi advised, placing his own AS out of sight. "See you at lunch." Cam sighed, and headed out of the door at the far end of the hall, opposite to the one the others had exited out of. It led down to the potions labs underground.

Yuugi watched him go with a familiar peace in his mind. 'It's good to be home at last,' he thought, and left the Hall in the rush of students also heading to Charms, among other indoor classes.

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**Finished:** 17th June, 2004 5:32pm.

Another chapter completed… I feel good about myself.

**Reviewers Corner**

**ruth 4 kai: **thanking you for the present! sorry it's been so long since an update!

**DragonMaiden: **thanks for the advice! I changed it a little, if you want to go back and have a look.

**Curtis Zidane Ziraa: **I actually discontinued QOG until I can rework it a little, but thanks for the concern. Again, sorry for the long while between updates. I also changed the part at the end a little... the one that made you suspect it's Yuugi's friend. See what you think now!

**Thanks in advance to all who will review!! hinthint, nudgenudge, winkwink **


	3. Attack On Justin

**Started: **18th June, 2004 10:33pm

**The Shadow Wizards**

**Disclaimer: **see chapter one

**Summary: **see chapter one

**Chapter Three: **Attack on Justin

**------------------------------**

Cam lifted his head from the desk as his alarm system went off. It was during study period, but the teacher had been called out of class, so it was quite alright for the students to message each other.

_Cam. _

_Accident in COMC. Justin hurt. Gone to HW. _

_Be there lunch. _

_Harry._

Justin had been hurt in Care of Magical Creatures? Cam racked his brain, trying to remember which magical creature they were studying that week... that's right, it was flying horses! The two breeds the school kept were the Pegasi, and Thestrals.

The Thestrals were kept only out of politeness to Professor Dumbledore at Hogwarts – their herd had recently been through a mating period and they had about ten or twenty over the legal limit.

The Pegasi, however... they were special. Only fourth years – in which they currently were ranked – and above were allowed to even _see_ the Pegasi. They were used as transport for those who had an emergency somewhere too far for brooms, or protected by anti-Apparition-charms. Like Hogwarts, for example.

The only way they could be angered is if someone they were attached to became suddenly endangered. That would mean... Professor Kamiro had to be in some sort of trouble. Professor Kamiro was one of the most capable people in the school, though! For something to be too out-of-control for him... it was almost impossible to imagine. Then again, _almost_ never got anyone anywhere.

The clock on his AS showed the time as being very close to lunch. Cam decided to send a message to Yuugi, after remembering that the little guy was in Divination (anything to get out of that!).

_Yuugi._

_Did you hear that something happened to Justin? _

_Cam._

A few minutes later the AS beeped.

_Cam._

_Yeah – do you know what?_

_Yuug'._

Cam frowned. That was quick. Professor Dimitrios must be out of the room like Professor Smith (his study-period supervisor) was. Maybe that had something to do with Justin?

_Y._

_No idea. _

_They were studying the Pegasi. Maybe something happened to Kamiro?_

_Why would they attack J. though?_

_C._

The AS beeped again almost as soon as he had sent the message to Yuugi. It was Dominique – she was bound to be in a frenzy!

_WHAT HAPPENED TO JUSTIN?!?!?!?_

Yep, definitely a frenzy.

_D._

_I don't know. They were studying the Pegasi. _

_Draw your own conclusions._

_C._

He sent the message off, and was startled when Yuugi's message came through immediately.

_Cam._

_I have no idea. Did you just get D's message?_

_She sounds frightened._

_Yuugi._

'Sure does,' Cam thought, grinning. 'Probably so worried she's gotten the teacher's permission to leave straight away. And knowing Dom, she's on her way already.' It was almost time for the period to end anyway, so the others wouldn't be far behind.

On the other hand, if Dom's teacher (Cam thought she was in Muggle Studies, which meant Professor McKinnon) was absent like Smith and Dimitrios, then she would have no choice but to sit there and worry.

_Yuugi, Dom, Harry._

_Are your teachers away?_

_Cam._

He sat anxiously, waiting for their replies. All three were the affirmative, also asking why he wanted to know.

What could be so serious so as to draw all the teachers away from their classes? Hopefully it had nothing to do with Justin...

---------------------------

'So why did you want to know about our teachers being called out of class, Cam?' came Dom's curious voice. She wanted desperately to see Justin, but the mediwitch, Madam Mizuhara, had forbidden anyone entry to the Hospital Ward.

'Because something had to be seriously wrong if they were all called away – remember that 'education is very important here at Akira's',' he smirked, imitating the deputy-headmaster, Professor Frederick. 'And I was hoping it wasn't Justin's accident,' he added as an afterthought.

(finished section June 18, 2004 11:05pm)(started section October 24, 2004 4:58pm)

'True; but the question is...' Harry started, and the other three finished with him. 'What?' Harry had been much more responsive since the feast – they had gotten him slightly drunk afterwards on Ogden's Firewhisky (Hermione had gotten it in, naughty girl!).

At that moment, Madam Mizuhara quietly closed the door to Justin's private room. She was immediately flooded with whispered questions.

'What happened to Justin?'

'Will he be alright?'

'What did the Pegasi _do_?'

'Did anyone else get hurt?'

And so on, and so forth. She raised her hand, and motioned for silence.

'Justin just has a few broken bones and a large headache – the potions I gave him will have him up and about in no time. He'll be fine; though he might get headaches for no reason every now and again.

The Pegasi did nothing; well, nothing in regards to what they could have done. Do you remember that a new one had been born a week or so ago?' She paused here, waiting for confirmation. Three heads nodded.

'Well, Justin accidentally frightened it, and, as you know, the Pegasi can be fiercely protective when necessary. It's why they make such good protectors.'

'Ah,' came the sounds of understanding.

'And no, no-one else got hurt. Professor Kamiro was in danger of being kicked once or twice trying to help Justin, but he got out safely. Is there anything else?' the Japanese mediwitch wanted to know. Dom had just one question.

'Can we see him?'

Madam Mizuhara nodded her consent, but told them one at a time. Dom went first, as she was his girlfriend. Cam, Harry and Yuugi sat outside, talking softly, when Harry remembered his other friend.

'Where's Hermione?'

'Well, she's meant to be with Dom... who had Muggle Studies... maybe she didn't get the message.'

'Of course! Harry wouldn't know her ID number – I only just put ours in last night,' Yuugi exclaimed. 'I'll go and get her.'

He scampered off, leaving the English and American boys sitting there to talk. Harry began to tell Cam a joke in English as Yuugi went to get Hermione.

----------------------------

Yuugi scoured the hallways near the Muggle Studies classroom – which was on the opposite side of the small-ish school, so it didn't take Yuugi long. The school was basically set out in a rough rectangle.

There were eight courtyards, all surrounded by classrooms. A large oval for the Care of Magical Creatures animals and library bordered the school to the west. To the north were the kitchens, Muggle Studies and Divination classrooms and assembly hall. To the east was the dining hall, art rooms and seven rooms for muggle subjects. Potions, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts classrooms lined the south hall.

In the middle, surrounding the courtyards, were classrooms for other elective subjects. There were also staff rooms, bathrooms, a senior (sixth and seventh years) prefects common room, computer labs (with super-fast enchanted access to the Internet) and a bookshop for students who missed some books from their lists.

The students' rooms were scattered about the place, some on the ground floor, some on the upper floor (which was like a maze, if you didn't live up there) and some underneath the school.

Yuugi couldn't find Hermione anywhere. He was just about to give up when he – literally – bumped into her.

'Oh, sorry Hermione!' he grinned, not noticing the person with her.

'That's OK Yuugi. I was just on my way back to my room with Ryou,' Hermione smiled, motioning to the person behind her. Yuugi gasped as his eyes settled on his old friend.

'Ryou?!'

-----------------------------

**Finished Officially:** October 24, 2004 5:45pm

And guess what? That's where I'll leave it! Mwahahaha! Look out for the fourth and fifth chapters soon once I have some reviews... I already have them written!

**Note: **Cookies to all who can tell me where I got Mizuhara from!


	4. Ryou Bakura

**Started: **October 24, 2004 5:49pm

**The Shadow Wizards**

**Disclaimer: **see chapter one

**Summary: **see chapter one

**Authoress' Note: **I've just realised that I've had them all understanding each other perfectly with only a minor 'explanation' sort of thing.

So: the reason they can understand each other is that, the moment they went to sleep, a Language Charm was cast over them by Lady Akira. This enables them to understand Japanese, but the others can't understand English, or French – which Dom occasionally speaks when she's flustered or when she forgets where she is etc.

**Chapter Four: **Ryou Bakura

-----------------------------

Ryou smiled softly. 'Hello Yuugi. Nice to see you again,' he murmured. Yuugi gaped for a moment longer, then grinned and leapt forward for a hug.

Ryou caught the 18-year-old deftly in his arms; he used to be friends with Yuugi when they both went to the same Muggle school for a while. He got used to the boy's obsession with touching people during that time.

'What are you doing here?'

'Same thing as you, I suppose; I got a letter when my father was killed on a dig a few months back. I just flew over a day or so ago. Jou and Honda say hello, by the way.'

'Cool! I can't believe you're here… I'm sorry about your father, though,' Yuugi grimaced slightly. He knew what it was to lose a parent to their work – his mother had been a nurse in a mental institution, and had been stabbed to death by a patient when he was only five.

That, in turn, had been the trigger for his father sinking into depression. Eventually, he lost his father as well, and was sent to live with his Grandpa, whom he barely knew. Then he met his oldest friend, Anzu, when he was six, and soon after that (around seven or eight), Jounouchi and Honda. Seto Kaiba finally succumbed to the cheerfulness of the small boy when Yuugi was about ten, then Ryou transferred to his school when they were all around thirteen.

But then he had lost touch with the five of them when he began school at Akira as, even though he had told them about his magical heritage and they believed him, their lives were too different and it was too long between letters.

'Oh, that's alright.' Ryou's answer snapped him back to the present. 'We were never very close… then he started going on those half-yearly long digs, and leaving me to take care of myself…' Ryou pulled a face.

Yuugi and Hermione laughed. 'Oh, Hermione. I was coming to find you.'

'What is it, Yuugi?' asked Hermione, seeing the look on his face change suddenly to one of worry.

'Justin got hurt in Care of Magical Creatures.' Hermione's eyes widened with interest.

'What happened? Is he OK?'

'Oh, he's fine – he just frightened a baby Pegasi,' Yuugi winced. Ryou looked between the two of them.

'Who's Justin?' he asked.

'A friend I made here,' Yuugi answered. 'Come on, Hermione. We're all at the Hospital Wing; he can see one person at a time.'

Hermione let herself be pulled along and Ryou followed, mystified.

---------------------------

When they reached the Hospital Wing, the three were stunned to find that everyone seemed to have solidified. Yuugi had noticed the seemingly still corridors, but he just brushed it off – they were probably all doing some weird senior thing – this was the senior classes corridor.

But there were usually prefects rushing about everywhere, running errands or looking for something/someone. Hermione saw something out the window as Yuugi looked around for their friends. She rushed over. Ryou followed her, more interested in looking outside than looking for obviously not moving people.

It was a triple rainbow.

Apparently it had rained, and rained _hard,_ while they were conversing. Triple rainbows, in the wizarding world, signified something strange happening, or about to happen.

The night that Lily and James were killed there had been a triple rainbow, but no-one had bothered to look, except for those few lucky Muggles who lived in Godric's Hollow.

The day Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban, he did it underneath a triple rainbow, and he had wondered at its significance.

Sirius had had another triple rainbow shining over him once. It hadn't been that long ago, two and a half years at the most. It had been the day he died – the day Harry had lost his last remaining 'family' member.

But back to the present. Hermione called Yuugi over, and pointed out the rainbow. He gasped, then frowned. 'I'll bet the rainbow has something to do with everyone being frozen.'

'Everyone? Everyone is frozen?' Hermione asked. Yuugi nodded. 'There's no-one moving in the Hospital Wing, or in the classrooms near here. I checked. It's probably the same everywhere else in the school.'

'What could have happened?'

'If I may?' asked Ryou, softly interrupting. Yuugi nodded "go ahead". 'My father once told me that there was an Ancient Egyptian ward to make a person or people move at a different frequency – thus invisible to the normal, unaffected person – to the world around them. Maybe this is the same sort of thing.'

Hermione nodded. 'I once read about a charm like that. Most of our spells nowadays are based off Ancient Egyptian, Greek or Roman wards and enchantments.'

'So do you guys think this is what is happening? Einstein's twin theory sort-of-thing?' Hermione looked confused at this, but Ryou nodded.

'Something like that.'

'Anyway… how do we slow down again?' asked Yuugi. Hermione and Ryou were at a loss. Then Yuugi remembered an episode of a TV show he used to watch.

'Well… on a show I used to watch called 'Black Hole High', the same sort of thing happened to Josie and her friends slowed her down by making something else speed up to take her place.' Yuugi explained hesitantly. The three moved to sit down – since no-one would know, Yuugi ushered them into the senior common room, and they sank into the plushy chairs.

'That's great… but how do we tell them that we're stuck in this faster-frequency thing?'

'Well, Josie left a note for someone,' Yuugi frowned. 'But it'll take them _hours_ to move enough to pick it up.'

'Well, it'll take hours for us – for them, it'll take about three minutes,' Hermione joked. Yuugi sighed.

'Anyone got a piece of paper?'

------------------------------

Suddenly Cam noticed a piece of paper sitting on the hard plastic seat next to him, where there hadn't been before. It was a letter from Yuugi, Hermione and some kid named Ryou.

'What does it say?' asked Harry.

'It says that they're stuck-in-time, and they need us to help them. Yuugi goes into detail about what to do. Well, if they're serious… come on, we need… a clock, a clay wheel and a couple of watches. We should also tell the Headmistress.'

Just before they left to go to the Headmistress' office, Cam stuck his head in the door and told Dom they had to do something, and they'd be back soon.

'Well, let's go,' sighed Cam. Yuugi had gotten himself into a mess like this before, only with one of Akura's stupid experiments with spells. They had managed to bring the two back last time, and they would again.

-------------------------------

'It's weird watching them,' Ryou remarked. Yuugi giggled.

'I think it's enough to put me to sleep. We know that they _are_ moving, though.'

'Yeah, half an hour ago, Cam was sitting. Now he's got his head in the door,' Hermione laughed. The three had dragged chairs out into the hallway. 'I'm going to go and see what's happening elsewhere.'

She left the two boys sitting there, staring at each other.

'So…' Yuugi started. 'What's been happening?' he asked.

'Not much,' Ryou answered casually. 'Jou and Seto got together, would you believe?' he chuckled.

'Really? The dragon and his puppy…' Yuugi joined in the laughter.

'Yeah; Jou's really happy though. Honda went missing after graduation – so did Malik.'

'Really? I kind of expected it of Malik, but Honda?'

'I know. Malik and I had been together before he left, though.'

'Good for you!' Yuugi grinned. 'You like him still?'

'I don't know. I guess… but there is someone else I sort-of-like, now I think of it. You?'

'Oh, there's someone I've got a half-crush. There used to be someone as well – but he left… and I haven't seen him in ages.' Yuugi replied. He was talking about Akura, of course. The two were inseparable… literally. They had been together almost the entire time Yuugi had been to Akira's before Akura left.

Ryou smiled. His crush was probably just a passing lust for the person, but it couldn't be ignored at the moment. Especially not when the object of the crush was sitting right in front of him, unknowingly.

Yuugi smiled back. His crush was probably just a passing lust for the person, but it couldn't be ignored at the moment. Especially not when the object of the crush was sitting right in front of him, unknowingly.

And then Hermione returned.

------------------------------

**Finished: **October 24, 2004 7:26pm

OK, my following notes are in order of appearance of the subject. They don't need to be read, but if you would like a further understanding of the story, here you go!

**On the Subject of:**

**The Rainbow: **I don't _care_ if you say a triple rainbow isn't possible! I say _it_ _is_, because I've seen one! As I was writing this chapter I saw a double!

**The Twin Theory: **Einstein's twin theory, I think, states that 'the closer you travel to the speed of light, the more time slows down':

If one twin went up into space and cruised around for a while, and his/her twin stayed on Earth, then the twin who went up into space would come back younger than the twin on Earth. The one in space would have been travelling faster, and thus, aging slower.

I'm not sure if I get it, but I tried to explain it. The explanation I gave my parents is that (yes, _I _explained it _to_ my _parents_), if you spin a clock around really, really, really fast, it'll slow down.

I took a wild guess at the amount of time it would have taken for the trio stuck-in-time to get rescued. Six-to-eight hours for three minutes sound fair?

**Malik: **Malik is the same age as everyone else; around 18.

**For the 'shippers: **I have a page of relationships sitting on my hard drive at the moment for this story. As you can tell, YuugixRyou is one of them. But it's just a brief fling, as they both know. They'll both get their serious relationships.

**The Sudden Ending: **I suddenly got the urge to leave it right there, but don't worry. I'm on a roll at the moment – it's probably going to get written (or just planned out) tonight.

**The Yamii: **Yamii as in the plural for Yami (three, in this case – yamis doesn't look right.). They won't be showing up in this fic, I don't think. It's just a bit hard, unless I have them all as brothers separated at birth and all sent to Akira's. Or they're all Death Eaters or something etc.

**Alternate Universe: **Yup, this is definitely an AU. Just in case you couldn't tell.

**V. V. V. V. V. Late Update: **I attribute this to my extreme laziness, and my sudden loss of interest in fanfiction, and my terrible memory. I completely forgot that this one and another chapter are sitting on my hard drive! Gahhh!


	5. Stuck In Time

**Started: **October 24, 2004 7:45pm

**The Shadow Wizards**

**Disclaimer: **see chapter one

**Summary: **see chapter one

**Chapter Five: **Stuck In Time

* * *

Yuugi sighed as he leaned against the wall, looking at his white-haired friend. Everything seemed frozen. And, in a way, it was. His two friends, one new and one old, and himself were, quite literally, 'stuck in time'. They were caught in the real life version of Einstein's Twin Theory – the three were moving at a much faster speed than the rest of the world, and thus it seemed as though everything else was not moving at all.

But they were moving. Two and a half hours ago, their friend Cameron (who wasn't stuck in time) had been sitting down, reading their note to him. Now he was a little down the hall, about to enter the Headmistress' office.

Two hours ago, he, Hermione and Ryou had been sitting down laughing together at a joke.

An hour and a half ago, they had split up to find something to do.

An hour ago, Yuugi and Ryou had joined up again, and played a game of Duel Monsters to pass the time.

Half an hour ago, he had beaten Ryou, and the two had gone and found Hermione (she was, naturally, reading in the library).

Two minutes ago, he and Ryou had left Hermione to her books, and wandered off.

A minute ago, Ryou had kissed Yuugi… and Yuugi had kissed right back. Then he had come to his senses, and realised that, although he _wanted_ this, wanted it badly, there was no way he could betray Akura like that.

So he had (reluctantly) pushed the hurt Ryou away, and apologised, explaining his situation. Now he was waiting for Ryou to answer.

'Technically, it's not betrayal,' came Ryou's soft voice, penetrating his thoughts.

'How?' Yuugi asked.

'They left us. Both of them – Malik left me when we graduated, your boyfriend left you when he… well, left.' Ryou moved slightly closer to Yuugi, who bit his lip.

'I know… I still want him to be with me, though.'

'As I want Malik… but there's no harm in having a relationship while we're waiting, is there?' asked the boy. Yuugi could see the sense; after all, who knew what Akura was doing, and whom he was doing it with? He might have completely forgotten about Yuugi.

It was time to move on.

'I see your point…' Yuugi murmured as he initiated the closeness this time. Soon they were standing within arms' reach of each other. 'Will you… will you kiss me again?' Yuugi asked, ever the bashful one.

Ryou smiled as he closed the small gap. 'Are you sure?' he asked. He didn't want to do anything Yuugi wasn't completely sure he wanted to do. Yuugi hesitated slightly then nodded.

He tilted his head back as Ryou looked down. Yuugi had grown over the three-or-four years since Ryou had seen him, and it was fortunate. It made him look closer to his age.

Their lips met, softly at first, then with slightly more pressure. It was just a kiss, no tongues, but it was the first step towards moving on for both of them. They were accepting that their first loves were just that, first loves. Nothing more, and they shouldn't prevent you from moving on to better things.

They broke away when Yuugi began to giggle.

'What?' asked Ryou, slightly irritated. He had been enjoying that! Yuugi tasted like the chocolate bar that they had taken from the kitchens an hour or so ago, with a faint underlying flavour that Ryou knew was _Yuugi_, and only Yuugi.

'Sorry. I opened my eyes without meaning to, and you had such a look of concentration on your face!' Yuugi laughed. Ryou allowed a slow grin to spread over his face as he formulated a plan. And that plan involved…

'Ah! Stop… ah!… tickling… me! Ah!' Yuugi gasped as Ryou attacked.

'Well, it's rude to stare at a person while you're kissing them!' Ryou chuckled.

'I… apol-… apologised!' Yuugi pointed out between gasps of air, and sighed in relief as Ryou stopped. He listened for an apology, but when none was forthcoming, he glared at Ryou, who just smirked.

'You're cute when you glare,' was the only answer Yuugi got. The two looked down the hallway when a very long creak was heard. It was probably just someone coming out of a door that wasn't at the same speed as them, since nothing that creaks should be that long, but they looked anyway.

Cam and Harry were leaving Lady Akira's office, with the Headmistress in tow. They were carrying the keys to the clay room in the art department, and two watches.

'They need another watch,' noted Ryou. 'If your theory is correct, that is.'

'I know – they also need a clock, or that's what Hermione told me. She said something like… they need it to keep track of the time in their experiment, and we need it to re-anchor ourselves… etcetera. I don't know.' Yuugi sighed. He wasn't really a genius – he wished Seto were here. He would probably know what to do.

They were relying on a TV show, after all.

As Cam and Harry left the Headmistress' office with the Lady herself in tow, they informed her on what they knew. The trio stuck in time didn't know what had happened, just that time had slowed down for them when they had begun to head back to the Hospital Wing.

The Headmistress seemed quite interested in what they had had to say. 'Well, let's try and get your friends back, shall we?' she had said, and rubbed her hands together.

Harry got the feeling she was just like Hermione, and loved a challenge that required using her brain and preferably, books.

'Do you think they're watching us now?' Harry asked of Lady Akira, who laughed.

'Undoubtedly, though they've probably got something else to do as well. We're moving very slowly to them. I'd say they've been stuck for about… three hours?'

'But it's only been a few minutes since we found the note!' exclaimed Cam.

'You forget that we're moving much slower. It's been a few minutes for us, but it's a lot longer for them.'

'Ohhh.' Cam and Harry finally understood, and Akira smiled inwardly. "Kids nowadays… you need to tell them everything two or more times to get it to stay. It's like telling a puppy to stay during its second or third training session," she thought.

Meanwhile, they had been walking quickly, and were not at the entry to the art rooms. The classes were doing photography today, so there was nothing stopping them from going straight to the clay room.

Yuugi and Ryou (holding hands and stealing kisses every so often) trailed the group slowly down the hall. They could see that there was speech going on, but they had given up trying to understand it when Harry first spoke hours ago.

Half an hour had passed since the Headmistress had been in on the act, and she was currently rubbing her hands together. Or so Ryou and Yuugi thought.

They gave up on tailing the three in the normal timezone after a short while more, and went off to find Hermione again.

''Mione? Hermione, where are you?' called Yuugi. Sound literally vibrated through this place. Yuugi and Ryou had experimented with the distances during the time their helpers had been making slow progress down the hall. They had realised that, as long as they were inside the same building, it was like standing right next to the person you're calling out to when they answer.

So Hermione should be easy to find; and she was. She was right where they had left her – sitting in the library, reading. Ryou got a closer look at her.

'Uh… Yuugi?' he murmured.

'Yeah?' replied the spiky-haired boy, looking up from the pile of books sitting next to Hermione.

'I don't think she's… alert,' Ryou fumbled for a word.

'What do you mean?' asked Yuugi, confused.

'She's on the same page she was when we left her here!'

While Ryou and Yuugi were trying to figure out what was wrong with Hermione, Harry, Cam and Lady Akira had found another watch and a clock they could use. They put the three watches on the clay wheel, and set the clock to the right time (it had been slow, from a recent blackout during the holidays).

'Now what?' asked Cam of Harry, who held the note.

'Now we wait for confirmation that Yuugi, Hermione and that Ryou kid are in the room with us.'

'That shouldn't take lo-' started Cam, cutting himself off when he saw the note.

_We're here._

Just two words, scribbled on a bit of convenient paper, and Lady Akira pressed her foot down on the clay wheel, hard, setting it spinning at a high speed.

'Faster,' Harry urged, and Akira whispered an incantation. She lifted her foot off the pedal, and they watched as it spun faster and faster…

And suddenly, Yuugi, Ryou and Hermione began to slow down. At first, their actions were still super fast, then they gradually got slower, until they were at normal speed.

'What have you guys been up to?' asked Harry conversationally, when the three who had been stuck-in-time didn't move, still waiting, seemingly. Akira slowed the clay wheel down. The watches were gone.

Yuugi blinked. 'Uh… you can see us? We're back?' he asked, a grin spreading across his face.

'Yes, Yuugi. You're back!' laughed Lady Akira. Ryou coughed slightly, to get their attention.

'Ryou?' Yuugi asked, puzzled. Ryou jerked his head towards the girl standing between them. Hermione had a blank look on her face, and made no movements besides the occasional blink and inhale-exhale of air.

'Oh, right! We found Hermione like this in the library – something must have happened to her a minute or so after we left her. She was on the same page for about and hour and a half to two hours!' Yuugi exclaimed.

'Really?' asked Lady Akira, interested again. 'Hmm… nothing seems to be wrong physically. She's breathing and blinking… just not registering the world around her.' The Headmistress paused, thinking.

'I think I may know what is wrong with her, but I need to go and speak with the Potions Master here before I can be sure. Maybe even Severus…' she muttered to herself as she walked off. Suddenly she turned around.

'Take her to the Hospital Wing. Madam Mizuhara can make her comfortable while I figure out the cure. After you have given her over to the care of Madam Mizuhara, all four of you can go to class.'

The boys looked at each other, shrugged and began to push and pull Hermione haltingly out of the art department and down the hall to the Hospital Wing.

* * *

**Finished: **October 24, 2004 9:40pm

Heh, guess I was on a bit of a roll tonight! I got three chapters done! Wow… I didn't even do this well when I was doing QOG!

**Just to Clear Something Up: **I don't really understand what happened in that particular episode of 'Black Hole High' to get Josie to slow down again, so I made it up. The three watches represent the three people. Hope some of you science-lovers out there can actually tell me what would have slowed them down again! Ciao.


End file.
